Cartridge feeding mechanism



March 21, 1950 R. s. SANFORD CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Ju1y.l7, 1946 Patented Mar 21, 1950 CARTRIDGE FEEDING Roy S. Sanford, woodbury flonn assignor to The Autoyre Companm- Oakville, 601111., acor-- poration of Connecticut Application July 17, 194.6, Serial No. 684,306

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a feeding mechanism for an automatic gun. It has particular refer ence to a gun utilizing cartridges fed thereto in the form of a cartridge belt, the latter including a plurality of links each having portions for gripping an individual cartridge during its passage from a magazine to the gun.

Cartridge belts of the type referred to are well known, one form thereof comprising links as shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 628,207, filed November 13, 1945, Patent-No. 2,480,972, dated September 6, 1949. Such linksare so constructed as to be linkable with one another to form a fiexible' belt',and eachlink is provided with fingers for embracing the cartridge case to grip the same during transit of the belt from a conveniently placed magazine to the feeder of the gun, wherein the cartridge is stripped from the link for delivery to the receiver.

In mounting an automatic gun, the arrangement of the parts surrounding the mount may be such as to require that the gun be fed from the left hand in some cases and from the right hand in others. Thus the feeding mechanism of the gun is sometimes arranged so that by subtracting, adding, or shifting parts, the mechanism may be converted from one hand to the'other. However, such modification necessitates the eXpenditure of substantial time and efiort, as well as an inventory of the extra parts. During combat any expenditure of time for conversion or the transportation and stocking of spare parts is definitely undesirable.

Accordingly the principal object of my invention is the provision of a cartridge feeding mechanism for an automatic gun which is adaptable to rightor left-hand feeding, with a facility heretofore not possible with known devices, and moreover without requiring alteration in any of the parts of the feeder.

Usually the gun is interconnected to the magazineby a flexible chute by means of which the belt is guided in its transit to the gun, the chute being considered a part of the magazine. Connection of the chute to the throat of the feeder ordinarily is effected by simple means-for example, by machine screws. Consequently, connection and disconnection of the chute requires only a fe minutes and a screw driver.

Accordingly, a further object of this invention resides in providing a feeding mechanism for rightor left-hand feed having a pair of 0pposed throats to either of which the chute may be attached interchangeably, the change from one throat to the other being effectibl'e' with the use of only trifling time and effort.

Other objects Will appear as the description proceeds.

In carrying out my invention in one form, I provide a housing adapted to be associated with the receiver of the gun and enclosing an intermittently rotatable toothed or star wheel. The spaces lying between the teeth or projections of the wheel are of a shape to receive individual cartridge links so that rotation of the wheel willimpart movement to' the belt. Rotation of the wheel may be by any convenient mechanism operable by the firing of a cartridge, the recoil ithereof or any other appropriate timed means;

Disposed on each side of the wheel is a throat for directing the belt toward the periphery of the wheel, both throats having elements for attaching the chute thereto interchangeably for rightor left-hand feeding.

pending application Serial No. 661,545, filed April 12, 1946. The housing l5 of the feedingmechanism includes a. flange [5 whereby the housing may be attached to the receiver I l by any conventional fastening, and includes a substantially cylindrical central portion in which the star wheel H is positioned for rotation. Wheel I1 is afiixed to a shaft [8, the latter being adapted for rotation in suitable bearings.

The means for imparting intermittent rotation to'the wheel I! may take any of several forms; the principal requirement being that the wheel be moved by'the amount of one tooth following the firing of a round. For example, the shaft 18 may carry a ratchetwheel operable by a pawl to which reciprocating motion may be given by pressure exertedon a pistoncontained in a cylinder,-

the pressure medium being gases of explosion as described in my copending application Serial-No. 661,545'heretofore referred to. Alternatively the recoil of the gun may be utilized through appropriate means to actuate the pawl, or hydraulic or pneumatic means may be employed.

Wheel I1 is preferably constituted as two spaced-apart similar wheels positioned to engage the link at two spaced-apart points in order to preserve longitudinal alignment of the round in its feeding movement (Fig. 2). The points at which the wheels engage the links are not material to the present invention, except that the wheels should be so spaced as not to interfere with the bridge 2! forming part of each link 22a, etc., since the bridge is adapted to be engaged with the fixed cartridge stripping cam 23. The latter is also shown and described in my said application Serial No. 661,545, and briefly comprises a nose 24. adapted, upon translating movement of a round, to pass between the bridge 2! and the cartridge case to dislodge the round from its link.

My invention is in part characterized by the provision of two feeding throats 26 and 21, for rightand left-hand feeding respectively. Feeding chutes 28 and 29, as heretofore referred to, are adapted for attachment to either throat 26 or 21 as required, the connection being indicated diagrammatically by mating flanges 3| and 32, and 33 and 34.

For right-hand feeding, rounds 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d, gripped in their individual links 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, are carried to the feeder from a magazine (not shown) through chute 28, the links being intermeshed with the teeth of the wheels I1 and by the intermittent motion of which the belt of cartridges is carried in a step-by-step movement to the feeder, the empty links being discarded through an appropriate opening 36. As each link is carried into engagement with the stripping cam 23, the nose thereof will dislodge the round from the link, as shown for example by empty link 22a and round 35a. Round 35 is in the mouth l2 ready for engagement by the bolt and subsequent chambering while round 35!) is approaching stripping position.

Should left-hand feeding be desired, the chute from the magazine is attached to the feeder as shown at 29, and the rounds 35c, f, g, etc., and their links 22c, f, 9, etc., are indicated as feeding in from the left, the feeding operation being similar to that described for right-hand feed, except that the belt passes over and around the wheels ll.

From the foregoing it will be understood that I have provided a cartridge feeding mechanism instantaneously convertible from rightto lefthand feed and without the necessity of any alteration in the feeding mechanism. Chutes 28 or 29 are commonly of flexible construction, so that they may be attached in a curvilinear manner as shown for chute 28, or rectilinearly as for chute 29. Moreover, it is not essential that the face of the flanges 31 or 33 lie in the planes shown in the drawing, since other planes are equally effective, the requirements being that the belt of links be engaged by the toothed wheel, one tooth in mesh being sufficient for proper feeding, and that the threats be in such positions as to allow proper connection of the chutes 28 or 29 for feedmany modifications may be made, and I therefore contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A feeding mechanism for an automatic gun adapted to fire cartridges fed thereto gripped in individual links forming a flexible belt which mechanism comprises a toothed Wheel adapted to intermesh with the links of the belt, means for intermittently rotating said wheel to impart step-by-step movement to the belt and thus to feed the cartridges singly and successively to the gun, a housing enclosing said wheel and having a cartridge discharge opening therein, and a pair of cartridge feeding throats leading into said housing one disposed on each side of the axis of rotation of said wheel whereby the belt may be introduced to said wheel interchangeably from one side of the axis or the other and whereby said cartridges are discharged from said opening.

2. A feeding mechanism for an automatic gun adapted to fire cartridges fed thereto gripped in individual links forming a flexible belt, and said gun having means for stripping the cartridges from their links for delivery thereof to a position for engagement by the bolt of the gun which mechanism comprises a toothed wheel having an axis of rotation displaced laterally from the stripping means and parallel to the axes of the cartridges, the teeth of said wheel being adapted to intermesh with the links of the belt, means for intermittently rotating said wheel to impart stepby-step movement to the belt and thus to feed the cartridges singly and successively to the gun, a housing enclosing said wheel and said stripping means and having a cartridge discharge opening therein, a pair of cartridge feeding throats one disposed on each side of the axis of rotation of said wheel whereby the belt may be introduced to said Wheel interchangeably from one side of the axis or the other and whereby said cartridges and said stripped links are separately discharged from said opening.

3. A feeding mechainsm for an automatic gun adapted to fire cartridges fed thereto gripped in individual links forming a flexible belt which mechanism comprises a toothed wheel adapted to intermesh with the links of the belt, means for intermittently rotating said Wheel to impart stepby-step movement to the belt and thus to feed the cartridges singly and successively to the gun, a housing enclosing said wheel and having a cartridge discharge opening therein, a pair of cartridge feeding throats leading to said housing and being angularly spaced apart about the periphery of said wheel, the central axes of said throats being disposed substantially tangentially to the pitch line of said wheel whereby the belt may be introduced to said wheel interchangeably from one side of the axis or the other and whereby said cartridges are discharged from said opening.

ROY S. SANFORD.

' REFERENCES or'rim The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,366,395 Hall Jan. 2, 1945 2,395,211 Bell et a1. Feb. 19, 1946 

